


Karen and Frank's Not So Great Day

by Emeli_Thorne



Series: Kastle Christmas 2K17 AU - Kastle as neighbours [6]
Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Frank's wasn't all that better either, IKEA conspired against Frank, Karen had a horrible day, not sponsored by IKEA, or so he thinks, written for kastle fic/art exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 20:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15151199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emeli_Thorne/pseuds/Emeli_Thorne
Summary: Karen's day had started with her being late for work, starting a chain of horrible inconveniences.When she got home, she realised Frank's day hadn't been much better either, all cause of IKEA.





	Karen and Frank's Not So Great Day

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for Kastle fic/art exchange. I was paired with [sarma](http://sarma.tumblr.com/) from tumblr and I based my fic on [this piece of fanart ](http://sarma.tumblr.com/post/169667104024)
> 
> This fic is a part of my Kastle AU series where they are neighbours who start a relationship. Karen has a daughter named Addie who, at this point turned, seven.
> 
> I hope you guys will like it :D

Karen Page was having an awful day.

After waking up way too late because she forgot to set the alarm the night before, she missed the morning meeting at the _Bulletin_ , only catching their editor’s daily “be productive!” encouragement to her colleagues as they were leaving the conference room.

She was three thousand words into her latest exposé when her computer crashed. Not even Steve from IT could recover it because her computer was somehow full of viruses she had no idea how she got because she’s always extremely cautious.

During the lunch break, Karen went to the bank to sort out some misunderstanding involving her card, which took a lot longer than she hoped. In the end, nothing was solved and the bank manager asked her to come by again tomorrow.

Her afternoon was only slightly better because she managed to talk to Addie who was at the summer camp. Her daughter spent the first fifteen minutes telling her all about the friends she was making there and what fun she was having. Her cheerful tone lifted Karen’s gloomy mood and put a smile on her exhausted face.

“Mooooom, we got to swim in the lake and afterwards there was karaoke and Alex and I won!” her daughter exclaimed excitedly and Karen could practically see her grinning, her face shining with happiness.

It seemed like sending Addie off to summer camp was a great idea, as much as the girl protested at first. Addie’s original plan for summer was to spend it volunteering at the shelter with Frank, but Karen thought it would do her much better to hang around kids her own age for a change, out in the open. It also gave Frank and her time to do small works around the apartment and spend some time alone.

Chuckling, Karen congratulated her daughter and her friend, “I’m proud of you, pumpkin. I’m glad you’re having fun. I’ll call you back tomorrow at the same time, okay?”

“Yeah. Say hi to Frank from me. I know it’s only been a week, but I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too. Sending you lots of kisses.”

Finishing the call, Karen sighed and started anew with her exposé, simultaneously filling the document with words and her body with cup after cup of coffee.

It’s wasn’t until six o’clock that Karen felt like her day was spent productively, in spite of all the morning mishaps. Glancing at her phone for the first time since she talked to Addie, she realised she had a few missed calls from Frank. Instead of ringing him, Karen shot him a quick text then turned off the computer but not before she saved the document onto a flashdrive. Then she packed her belongings and left the office in a hurried pace, hoping she would get home in time to make dinner for Frank and her.

_*        *        *        *        *_

Karen had been standing in a line at the supermarket for more than half an hour now, getting pissed off more and more by the minute. Just as she bent down to pick up a pack of rice that she dropped, some jerk cut the line, taking the place in front of her. He didn’t even apologise when she called him out on it, adding insult to injury.

In hindsight, Karen realised should have taken the cart, but she didn’t really count on buying so many items, and she sure as hell didn’t count on people being complete assholes. Cursing under her breath, she tapped her foot restlessly until ten minutes later it was finally her turn.

When she was finally, _finally_ climbing up the stairs of her building, her stomach rumbling, it was almost seven and she fought the urge to throw the grocery bag that was slowing her down over the railing.

A loud crash was heard from her apartment and then an even louder ‘goddamnit!’ as she was unlocking the door.

Getting in, she found Frank sitting on the floor surrounded by parts of the desk they bought a couple of weeks ago for Addie’s room, cursing like there was no tomorrow. There were screws and other things she had no idea what they were called and screwdrivers of all sorts lying around Frank while the desk itself seemed to have been haphazardly put together before it gave out.

The man in question was bleeding in several places on his hands and forearms, his naked torso glistening with sweat, his muscles all tense. When he turned his head around, Karen could read the annoyance on his face.

“Frank, what’s happening?” Karen asked, dropping the grocery bag by the door and taking off her kitten heels.

He sighed, dropping his head to his chest. “I wanted to surprise you and assemble the desk, but the damn instructions are incomprehensible! Who writes them? I can’t even figure out what the pictures are showing!”

Furrowing her brows, Karen went to kitchen then came back and sat next to him, assessing the damage. The desk parts were scratched in a few places and there was a big hole on the side where the top of the desk was supposed to be attached to the shelf it came with.

When her gaze then landed on Frank, Karen took his hands in hers, her fingers carefully wiping droplets of blood with a paper towel.

“Mr Handyman, I think IKEA outsmarted you,” Karen told him gently with a hint of teasing while Frank stayed silent, only occasionally sighing as Karen tended to his wounds.

“The hell were they thinking, making this death trap?”

“How did you cut yourself so many times?” Karen asked him after cleaning up the cuts and pressing soft kisses against his palms.

“There are a few metal parts and I kept nicking against them.” Frank leaned over, nose brushing against hers before kissing her.

He was sure he smelled awful since their AC stopped working earlier that day and he was so lost in setting up the desk he ignored the heat and stuffiness accumulating in the apartment.

Karen didn’t seem to mind, the tips of her fingers grazing the sides of his torso, making him shiver and deepen the kiss.

 “And you’re naked because...” her voice was all breathy and warm, lips ghosting over his jaw. Swallowing, Frank cupped her face, thumb brushing her cheekbone.

When they separated, Frank shook his head, mumbling another curse under his breath.

“The metal part tore through my shirt, in several places. I got angry and just... ripped it.”

“Wow. Werewolf much, Mr Castle?”

That made him laugh that he almost forgot the whole scene and the rage that filled him.

Who would have thought that a desk could make him almost lose his mind?

Standing up, they headed for the kitchen, Karen carrying the bag with the ingredients for their dinner.

“So, this is how you spent your day, I assume?”

“Yep, been working on it since you left this morning. Should’ve just left it alone,” Frank replied, washing his hands in the sink as Karen was taking out dishes from the cupboards.

Passing by him on her way to the fridge, Karen pressed a quick kiss against his shoulder blade, feeling his muscles relax. “Let’s leave this for tomorrow. I don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore.”

*     *      *       *       *

Karen and Frank were on the couch in the living room, Karen’s head nestled against Frank’s neck, a glass of wine in her hand. Frank was drinking beer out of the bottle as a movie was playing on TV. Neither of them was watching it though. Karen was recounting her terrible day, adding that the reason she was late in the first place was Frank and his midnight cravings that left her too exhausted to set the alarm.

“So, your bad day is my fault? All of it?” he asked her, obviously suppressing a smile as his fingers kept brushing against her arm.

Snuggling even closer, he felt her nod. “Well, maybe not _everything_...”

Frank chuckled and kissed the top of her head, then sneaked a look at his unsuccessful project. The very sight of it made him feel angry all over again.

_How hard can it be to write comprehensible instructions, for god’s sake?_

“But you did make me laugh so I’ll forgive you. I should’ve taken a picture of you. You looked like an angry toddler.” Kissing his shoulder, she said, “I appreciate what you tried to do, Frank. You’re truly one of a kind.”

“I’m sorry I made mess in the living room. And destroyed the desk. I’ll get a new one tomorrow.”

Lifting her head, Karen looked at him with mischief in her eyes.“Are we going to IKEA again?”

The horrified look on Frank’s face made her laugh, his answer sounding firm and nonnegotiable.

“Hell no! We’re staying as far away from that place as possible.”

*      *      *     *     *

In the end, Frank decided that he wanted to make Addie a desk from scratch instead of relying on anyone’s instructions. It took him a week and a half to gather the materials and assemble it, but in the end, it paid off.

It proved to be more functional than the IKEA desk and much prettier too. He even made a chair with added padding so she was more comfortable.

When Addie came home, she immediately rushed to her room to see Frank’s work since they refused to send her any photos of the desk.

The surprise and joy on her face, especially her excited jumping all over the room before she jumped into his arms and yelled “You’re amazing, Frank!” made all those cuts and hassle worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback is welcome, I'm looking forward to hearing from you :D 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr under lightblindingme


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